Welded wire fabric support



July 14, 1970 A. G. CASTO WELDED WIRE FABRIC SUPPORT Filed Aug. 20, 1968Subgrade Wire Fabric Alvin G. Casfo [NI 'lfNTOR.

United States Patent 3,520,101 WELDED WIRE FABRIC SUPPORT Alvin G.Casto, P.0. Box 317, Cambria, Calif. 93428 Filed Aug. 20, 1968, Ser. No.753,939 Int. Cl. E04c 5/18; E04b 5/32 US. Cl. 52-681 3 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE Support means for welded wire fabric such as iscurrently used to reinforce concrete slabs resting atop a suitablycompacted fill or subgrade. These slabs are commonly used in theconstruction of sidewalks, garage, barn and enclosure floors, highways,airport runways and the like. A unique spike coacts with an equallyunique sill plate which resides firmly atop the subgrade and elevates,supports and anchors the wire fabric at the prescribed level above theslabs bottom and below its top. The grade level sill plate is separatefrom the companion spike. This makes for compactness and convenience inshipping, handling and storage and makes the task of assembling andinstallation relatively simple and easy.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in thatfield of endeavor which has to do with welded wire fabric, heretoforeclassified as wire mesh, embodying stout transverse and longitudinalwires which are electrically arc Welded and thus securely united, andprefabricated in sheet-like form and customarily shipped in rolls.Welded wire fabric of the prefabricated type herein under considerationis regularly used for reinforcing and stabilizing concrete slabs such asare located and retained for use on an appropriate fill or a compactedhighway subgrade.

For background information it should perhaps be pointed out at theinception that Welded wire fabric is fabricated from high strengthhandwires. The fabric comes in many types. A common type is 6 x 6 6/6which means No. 6 wire transverse and No. 6 wire longitudinal spaced 6"on center transversely and longitudinally. The present trend is forheavier reinforcement in the form of mats so heavy that the membersapproach the size of light bars.

Briefly the invention is characterized by support means which isexpressly designed and adapted for use in association with theaforementioned welded wire fabric and which functions to expeditecompletion of the step of embedding and effectually reinforcing concreteslabs. Persons conversant with the state of the art to which theinvention relates are aware that these slabs are superimposed on thesubgrade and are commonly used for sidewalks, floors in garages, houses,barns, factories and warehouses, highways, and airport and like runways.One of the two component parts functions, broadly construed, as limitstop means and preferably takes the form of a sill plate and is set inposition at a prescribed locale on the subgrade. The preferred sillplate is characterized by like rectangular half-portions one of which isplaced flatwise atop the subgrade and the other one of which assumes anup-angled position oblique to the plane of the subgrade. This up-angledportion is provided with an opening to permit passage therethrough of areduced anchoring stake which constitutes the reduced bottom portion ofa spike. The spike is of requisite vertical height and preferablysubstantially V-shaped in transverse cross-section. The extreme upperend portion is provided with a slot at right angles to the lengthwisedimension of the spike. This slot is closed at its ends and serves3,520,101 Patented July '14, 1970 as a keeper for a portion of the wirewhich is aligned therewith and secured therein.

As will be hereinafter more clearly appreciated the combination metal orequivalent spike and companion metal or equivalent sill plate constitutenovel support means. One such means is required for approximately eachfour square feet of the aforementioned welded wire fabric. It isrecommended in the interest of structural stability that the supportmeans be alternatively placed on longitudinal and transverse wires ofthe above stated fabric. The sill plate should be approximately set inlocation on the subgrade. The spike has a wire inserted in the slot atthe upper end of the spike after which the lower anchor portion of thespike is driven into final position, that is, by way of the special holeor opening provided therefor in the sill plate. This driving step willamply close the wire accommodation slot which will in turn clench andbind the wire tightly in the slot in the manner and for the purposesdescribed.

In carrying out the principles of the invention the sill plate ispreferably rectangular in plan and is provided mid-way betweenlongitudinal edges with a fold line. It is this fold line whichtransforms the plate into rectangular half-portions one of which is flatand seats itself firmly atop the subgrade and the other one of which isbent up at an oblique angle and is provided with a triangulate hole. Thelower V-shaped reduced portion of the over-all V-shaped spikeconstitutes an anchoring stake which passes with requisie nicety throughthe triangular adapter hole and provides shoulders which come to restatop the sill plate, whereby the sill plate becomes a limit stop.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing a fragmentary portion of theaforementioned welded wire fabric and, what is more important, thetwo-part support means, namely, the sill plate and spike.

FIG. 2 is a view which may be said to be taken approximately on theplane of the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view at right angles taken on the plane of the verticalsection line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

And FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the two-parts, thatis, the sill plate and spike before these parts are bent into theircooperatively usable form.

Referring now to the views of the drawing the welded wire fabric isdesignated, generally construed, by the numeral 6 and embodieslongitudinal wires 8 and transverse wires 10 Welded in place as at 12.It should be pointed out here that the terms longitudinal and transverseare merely used for convenience and may be considered in reverserelationship preferably with the wires 8 atop the wires 10 rather thanbeing in alternative form and relationship.

With reference now to the limit stop means this, more specifically,comprises a sill plate 14 which can be construed as normally flat andsubstantially rectangular in form (FIG. 4). The plate is preferablyprovided centrally with a longitudinal fold line 16 thus transformingthe plate into a first rectangular half-portion 18 and a companion orsecond rectangular half-portion 20. The halfportion 20 is provided withan adapter opening 22 which is preferably triangular in form and iscentrally arranged proximal to the fold line 16. When in use thehalf-portion 18 is placed flatwise atop the subgrade as brought out inFIGS. 1 to 3 in particular. The half-portion 20 is bent up at an obliqueangle. The spike is designated, generally stated, by the numeral 24.This spike is made from appropriate strip metal and it is centrallyprovided with a fold line 26 which provides like half-portions orflanges 27 and when the over-all spike is bent into the desired V-shapedform it appears in the manner illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 3 inclusive. Thelower portion 28 is reduced in width as and defines an anchoring portionwhose extreme lower end 30 has a centralized ground-penetrating point32. This reduced portion 28 also provides a pair of coplanar limit stopshoulders 34 which come to rest when the anchoring portion 28 passesthrough the opening 22. The

upper edge 36 is provided with a straight across closed ended slot 38which is close to and parallel with the edge and has enlarged terminalend portions 39.

It will be evident from the views of the drawing that FIG. 4 shows thecomponent parts, that is the sill plate 14 and spike 24 in fiat or blankform. However the essence of the invention is thought to reside in theformation of the parts wherein when in use the half-portion 18 residesfiatwise atop the subgrade and the flange-like half-portion 20 is tiltedor up-angled to assume the oblique angle particularly brought out inFIGS. 2 and 3 and to permit satisfactory passage therethrough of thereduced pointed anchoring portion 28. The triangular opening 22 servesto permit satisfactory passage of the anchoring portion and results inthe shoulders 34 coming to rest atop the limit stop surface provided bythe sill plate.

In practice the wire of the welded wire fabric is inserted and lodged inthe slot 38 at the upper end portion 36 of the spike 24 which in turn isplaced in the cutout portion in the sill plate before the spike isdriven with a hammer. This driving operation will slightly close theslot and lock the coacting wire of the welded wire fabric in place. Thelocation of the welded wire fabric in the slab is automatically set bythe shoulders '34 of the spike bearing on the sill plate. The locationof the spike will be ap proximately four feet on center. In actualpractice both the spike and plate are made from appropriate strip metal.The thickness of the metal will be governed by the height of the spike.The spike and sill plate should be rugged enough to support the weightof an average man.

It is submitted that a careful consideration of the specification inconjunction with the views of the drawing will enable the reader toobtain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the subject matter ofthe invention and the features and advantages and manner of use. A moreextended description is deemed to be unnecessary.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In combination, a rigid sill plate adapted when inuse to reside forsupport atop a compacted fill or subgrade for a reinforced concretesidewalk highway or equivalent concrete slab, said plate having acentralized longitudinal .f e dividing saidp at n o o a i nan ularlylrezlated, flat half-portions, one-flat half-portion being adapted to restin a fla-twise position on said subgrade with the other half-portionprojecting angularly upwardly from said subgrade at an acute anglethereto, said other half-portion having a generally triangular spikeadapter opening therein contiguous to said fold line, and a verticallyelongated supporting, spacing and holddown spike for prefabricatedwelded wire fabric such as is adapted for reinforcing concrete slabs,said spike beingcomplementalto said sill plate and adapted to assume avertical position'perpendicular'to said first named half portion, saidspike having a pointed end being substantially V-shaped in transversecross-section, the end portion of said spike opposite'jsaid pointed endbeing straight across and at right angles to the lengthwise axis of thespike and a wire seating keeper slot in said,

spike adjacent said straight acros end.

2. The combination defined in and according to clairn 'l 1, and whereina significant lower portion of said spikeis proportionally decreased inwidth in a manner to define,

a subgrade anchoring section, said section being adapted; to passdownwardly through and beyond said adapter opening in a manner topenetrate the subgrade, that por tion of the spike at the juncture ofthe upper body portion? and upper end of said anchoring section havingcoplanar stop shoulders, said stop shoulders adapted to abut uppersurface portions of said upwardly pitched half-portion.

3. The combination'defined in and according to clainr 1 and wherein saidslot is closed at its respective ends, is straight and parallel with andis adjacent to said extreme upper end portion, is of a widthproportional to the crosssection of the wire which is adapted to beseated and lodged therein and has its respective terminal ends enlargedin a.

manner to assist one in forcibly hammering and pounding a median portionof said upper end portion to bendably deform said median portion and toretentively clamp the wire within the confines of said slot and enlargedterminal ends of said slot.

References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Parrish 25648 HENRY c. SUTHERLAND,Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

